Local producer finds the right sound in Pencil Bluff

montcnews2@windstream.net PENCIL BLUFF – Most people don’t think of the picturesque mountains of Montgomery County when they talk about movie and television production, but Jerry Lambert has proven movie magic can happen anywhere. Jerry Lambert is the CEO and President of Big Score Music located in Pencil Bluff. He has a long history in the movie and television industry which began while living in Los Angeles, California. A self professed nerd, Jerry enjoys the technical side of the business no matter what he may be doing. He studied film production at California State University, Northridge and has had a successful career as a producer, producing movies from the 1980’s into the early 2000‘s. He continues to do tax work for productions filming in Louisiana. It was in 1986 that his true passion found a new home in the entertainment industry. Anyone who knows Jerry will tell you that music is at the center of who he is. Jerry was working as a studio musician when he was approached by a gentleman about to film Texas Chainsaw Massacre II. Jerry was asked if he would be interested in composing a musical score for the film. Although he had no experience in scoring a movie he felt it was a challenge worth accepting. Jerry recalled that he didn’t have any recording equipment and had to buy what he could for the job. Ever the techie, Jerry decided to pass over traditional analogue technology and filled his studio with digital equipment. The result was the first movie to have a complete digitally recorded musical score. “The whole thing was created on a Commodore computer.” Jerry stated. Jerry continued to work on the musical side of the industry for several years, while also producing films. The spark of an idea that would become Big Score Music ignited while he worked for a company that provided music for movies. He explained that when you are working on a musical score you end up with a variety of variations on the same music. Filmmakers will listen to a composition and ask for a slight change here are there. When they finally find what their looking for the composer is left with several clips of music that are stored away. Jerry looked at the catalogue of music he had amassed, and with the help of an executive in the company he was working, he took his catalogue of music and created a company that offered a variety of musical pieces ready-made for a musical score. The company was a huge success, but eventually Jerry and his partner sold the company and he moved on to other projects. It was during a conversation with Harry Manfredini that Jerry saw another opportunity to start a business that would provide a musical service for those in the entertainment industry. This time he would turn his attention to a very specific area of the business known as the underscore. The underscore is the clips of music you hear play throughout a film. His new partner Manfredini is a legend in this niche area of the music industry. Best known for scoring the Friday the 13th films, Manfredini is one of the best composers in the horror movie genre. The two worked together to form Big Score Music.

Jerry Lambert, CEO and President of Big Score Music, describes many of the state of the art pieces of recording equipment in his studio. Big Score Music provides underscore for movies, television and commorcials. Lambert does most of the work from a studio located in his home in Pencil Bluff. – Photo by Dewayne Holloway

Big Score Music is more than just a catalogue of previously created music clips. The company reached out to many of the best composers in the entertainment business to create a steady supply of new music in every genre in the industry. Their growing library of music can be found at bigscoremusic.sourceaudio.com. The site can be searched in a variety of ways to allow for quick access to that perfect piece of music for a project. As the industry has grown and technology has improved Jerry works diligently to stay ahead of the game. One would think a move to Pencil Bluff Arkansas would place him too far away from the business he loves. However, That was not to be the case. When Jerry and his wife Martha decided to move from the hub of the movie industry to the quiet back roads Martha grew up, they just packed up the studio and took it with them. Jerry and his company Big Score Music are evidence that the entertainment industry is truly a global industry. Through the power of the internet he is able to work with the most talented composers from around the world. He even has the capability to include the composers and musicians in the mixing process as it is being done. Although he enjoys working with people from around the world, he continues to record in a studio in his home. As one would expect, his studio is filled with the state of the art equipment. An inventory of the four rooms that make up the studio quickly reveals just how complicated the business of recording music can be. Jerry is proud of the quality of equipment he has collected over the years. He believes the quality of his equipment sets the music he records apart from other studios. He points out that he has one of the largest collections of instruments in the industry. Jerry stated that while most musicians want to play their own instruments they don’t understand just how sensitive the recording equipment is. While a particular instrument might produce a raw sound that might add to a live performance, it becomes a hindrance in the studio. Jerry’s studio also is home to one of the largest selections of microphones in the region. He shared that his collection includes everything from the newest mics to World War II era ribbon microphones. Whatever the sound, he can create it with the right microphone. The digital format has been a part of Jerry’s creative process since his first musical score. Over the years he has had the privilege of beta testing some of the most popular software and equipment in the industry. Technology now allows musicians to bypass the amps and go straight to the computer. This allows Jerry to take the music produced by the instrument and create a sound that matches any make and model of amp the musician would like to use. He can also manipulate notes to tweak the sound whether it be instrumental or vocal. He admits working with digital equipment makes things easier for a music producer. In the past it might take a day or so to make a small change in a piece of music. Now they can easily locate the change that needs to be made and within an hour they can have the new composition finished. Digital technology is also able to replicate the sound found in analogue recording, allowing producers like Jerry to create the fuller sound found only through the analogue experience. While technology will continue to improve in the business, ultimately it is the person sitting at the control board that makes the difference. Jerry fills this is what sets Big Score Music apart. While they do work with the best equipment possible, the experience he and others within the company bring to the table is invaluable. He believes he and others like Harry Manfredini have the ability to provide the best sound in each clip. This adds a higher level of quality to any production. While Jerry enjoys working with artists from around the world his home studio allows him to work with several local artists as well. He has been able to work with many of the most talented musicians and singers in the area. Jerry stated that he has recorded music for the likes of John Talley, Mike Adams and Hayden Powell. He enjoys providing local talent an opportunity to record in the same quality studio they would find in Nashville Tennessee, or Los Angeles California. Jerry puts the same amount of time and energy whether he is producing music for a blockbuster movie, or a local teenager hoping to make it big. As a musician himself, he knows how hard it can be to work with a difficult producer. His experience on both sides of the microphone gives him a unique insight into the process. A process that continues to produce the best music available.